Heather Elliott Hoover ’91 P’20 ’23 ’24, recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, was fêted first by Alumni Association president Greg Melconian ’87 P’25 ’27.
‘And the Rest is History’
Lawrenceville went co-ed just as Heather Elliott Hoover ’91 P’20 ’23 ’24 was ready to enroll. Today, she is the first woman to receive its Distinguished Alumni Award.
For Heather Elliott Hoover ’91 P’20 ’23 ’24, you might call it a close call. After her uncle and two brothers attended … well, let’s just say a school in Pottstown, Pa., it seemed to be in her future, too.
“Yes, it’s true. I come from a Hill School family, and I’m eternally grateful to Bert Getz ’55 H’56 P’85 GP’18 ’20, who championed coeducation at just the right time,” Hoover said of Lawrenceville’s historic rival and the longtime trustee who pushed for his alma mater to admit girls. “And the rest is history.”
History, indeed. Hoover made her remarks as she accepted the School’s Distinguished Alumni Award, conferred this year to a woman for the first time. Hoover received the honor at Alumni Reunion Weekend 2026 at a ceremony inside the Kirby Arts Center. The prestigious accolade is conferred annually by the Lawrenceville School Alumni Association to a Lawrentian in recognition of exceptional efforts to promote the best interests of the School.
Hoover’s gifts of time and energy to the School as an alumna are incalculable, but she has been doing right by Lawrenceville since she enrolled as a Third Former in the fall of 1988. A gifted three-sport athlete, Hoover competed in field hockey, squash, and lacrosse at the highest levels, a prep career recognized by her induction into the Lawrenceville Athletics Hall of Fame. Hoover continued to play field hockey and lacrosse at Georgetown.
My friends, the faculty, they all showed up for me in little ways and big ways, and that’s why I stay involved — to celebrate them.
Hoover joined the Alumni Council in 2018 as the second vice president and advanced to first vice president in 2020 before serving as president from 2023-25.
“In these roles, she provided thoughtful, steady leadership through challenging times,” said Alumni Association president Greg Melconian ’87 P’25 ’27, “helping to strengthen the alumni engagement and deepen the connections across generations.”
Just this spring, Hoover was elected an alumni representative to the Lawrenceville Board of Trustees.
“You may ask why I’m so dedicated to Lawrenceville, and the answer is very easy: Volunteering for Lawrenceville is the least I can do to show my gratitude for such a special place,” Hoover said. “It changed my life for the best. My friends, the faculty, they all showed up for me in little ways and big ways, and that’s why I stay involved — to celebrate them.”